1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to intravascular thrombectomy systems and methods and, more particularly, to intravascular systems and methods used to ablate a blockage and to prevent the introduction of emboli into the blood stream during and after surgery performed to reduce or ablate the blockage in the blood vessel.
2. Background of Related Art
As is known in the industry, a thrombosis is the formation or presence of a thrombus or blood clot inside a blood vessel or cavity of the heart. An embolus meanwhile is a thrombus or blood clot that moves through the bloodstream until it lodges in a narrowed vessel and blocks circulation.
The narrowing or occluding of blood vessels, such as the walls of an artery, inhibits normal blood flow. Such blockages, whether partial or full, can have serious medical consequences depending upon their location within a patient's vascular system. For example, the narrowing or blocking of the coronary vessels that supply blood to the heart may cause damage to the heart.
Various surgical procedures are currently used to remove or reduce the blockage in the blood vessels. Such procedures include balloon angioplasty, which involves inserting a balloon catheter into the narrowed or occluded area, expanding the balloon in the narrow or occluded area, and if necessary, placing a stent in the now expanded area to keep it open. Another common procedure used is atherectomy where the lesion is cut away and removed from the vessel, or abrasively ground, sending the small particulates downstream. Other endovascular procedures make use of thrombectomy, drug delivery, radiation, stent-grafts, and various diagnostic devices.
On occasion, a large thrombus or a platelet-rich thrombus resists pharmacological therapy. In such instances, restoration of adequate antegrade coronary or peripheral flow necessitates application of a device that is capable of removing the thrombus or blockage, as described above. Present mechanical devices for power thrombectomy include ultrasound sonication, rheolytic thrombectomy, laser transluminal extraction catheterization, aspiration catheterization, and balloon angioplasty.
Ultimately, the clinical strategy is to use any one or a combination of procedures disclosed above to achieve nearly complete vessel patency, improved antegrade flow, and enhanced preservation of myocardial tissue.
However, each of the above described procedures carries with it the risk that some of the treated plaque will be disrupted, resulting in embolic particulates released in the bloodstream. These emboli, if allowed to flow through the vascular system, may cause subsequent infarctions or ischemia in the patient.
Systems have been developed to prevent the emboli from being released into the bloodstream during such procedures. For example, in one system, a balloon may be used to completely occlude the artery distal (i.e., downstream) of the area of blockage to be treated. In another system, a filter may be used to prevent emboli from being released into the bloodstream during surgical intervention.